To mark today's international human rights day on the 10th of December 2021, l will use this medium to dwell on the issue of child labour which is a grave violation on the rights of children, and also want to use this medium to urged global leaders to do the needful to eliminate child labour globally because of the negative effects it has on the children. The term "child labour" is often refers as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and or interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. Child labour is a global issue of international and local concern. It had been estimated that child labour accounted for 22% of the workforce in Asia, 32% in Africa, 17% in Latin America, and 1% in United states, Canada, Europe and other wealthy nations. In Nigeria it had been observed that over 15million children aged 5 - 14 years are engaged in child labour. A lot of factors contributes to child labour such as poverty, social norms condoning them, migration and emergencies etc. Then how can one identify a work done by a child to be termed as child labour? Whether or not a particular form of "work" can be called "child labour" depends on the child's age, the type and hour of work performed, the conditions under which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual counties. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among sectors within countries. The worst forms of child labour involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities, often at a very early age. A typical example of child labour in Nigeria is the almajiri children in Northern Nigeria who are left to fend for themselves at an early age through begging for survival.
Whilst child labour takes many different forms, a priority is to eliminate without delay the worst forms of child labour as defined by article 3 of ILO Convention No.182, which states that all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. A typical example is the recruitment of children into radicalized groups such as boko haram group, ISWAP group, Alqueeda group, Al-shabaab group etc. The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances. The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties. Work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. Hazardous child labour is one of the worst forms of child labour. Hazardous child labour or hazardous work is the work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. Guidance for governments on some hazardous work activities which should be prohibited is given by article 3 of ILO recommendation No.190 which states that work which exposes children to physical, psychological or sexual abuse. Work underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces. Work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools, or which involves the manual handling or transport of heavy loads. Work in an unhealthy environment which may, for example expose children to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations damaging to their health. Work under particularly difficult conditions such as work for long hours or during the night or work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises of the employer.
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